The role of research for a more resilient society
On March 11, Stockholm Science City, together with Karolinska Institutet (KI), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and Stockholm University (SU), brought together researchers and decision-makers at the exhibition space The Cell in Forskaren for the seminar Preparedness – Knowledge for a Resilient Society. Six researchers from the three universities were present, each briefly presenting their perspectives on preparedness and resilience. The evening concluded with reflections and questions to the researchers from Minister for Upper Secondary School, Higher Education and Research, Lotta Edholm, and Chair of the Parliamentary Defence Committee Peter Hultqvist.
The seminar was the first in a series of conversations exploring how research and innovation can help strengthen Sweden’s resilience amid increasing security and societal challenges.
Information Influence – Society’s Soft Vulnerabilities
A key aspect of today’s security challenges is understanding how information spreads and how people interpret it. During the seminar’s first panel, researchers discussed how psychological mechanisms, digital environments, and information flows affect societal resilience.
Predrag Petrovic, Senior Lecturer and Physician at Karolinska Institutet, who researches cognitive neuropsychiatry, showed that psychosis-like traits exist on a spectrum across the population. Research indicates that the extent to which we exhibit these traits may influence our susceptibility to conspiracy theories. This, in turn, can affect trust in institutions and people's behaviour in crisis situations. To strengthen societal resilience, we need a better understanding of why people are drawn to conspiracy theories and how to address them in ways that foster dialogue rather than polarisation.
Lisa Kaati, Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor in Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University, analyses the presence of violent extremist messaging in digital environments and develops risk assessments by analysing online behaviour. She highlighted that anyone can build “violence capital” online and gave the example of a 13-year-old boy who, from his room and behind an anonymous alias, persuaded individuals in other parts of the world to commit violent crimes. At the same time, she emphasised that the internet creates new opportunities: with better tools and methods, researchers and authorities can identify individuals at risk of committing crimes before they do so.
Not everyone who makes threats is dangerous—but some are. We need to get better at telling the difference.
Henrik Artman, Professor of Human–Computer Interaction at KTH, researches situational awareness—the ability to understand what is happening, interpret information, and anticipate how a situation may develop. He emphasised its importance for preparedness. It is not just about collecting data, but about giving decision-makers the right conditions to interpret it, through training, not least on real-life cases, simulations, and pedagogical models. Poor situational awareness can lead to misprioritization and ineffective responses, while strong situational awareness enables authorities and policymakers to make faster, more accurate, and better-coordinated decisions in times of crisis.
Critical Infrastructure – Systems, Water, and Healthcare
In the second part of the seminar, researchers discussed critical infrastructure and the interdependence of the systems.
Johan von Schreeb, Professor of Disaster Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and Director of the Centre for Health Crises, highlighted the importance of cognitive infrastructure - society’s ability to produce, test, and use reliable knowledge in crises. He argued that a strong cognitive infrastructure is also crucial for countering myths and poor decision-making. After the earthquake in Turkey, for example, there was a widespread belief that field hospitals were essential. However, data showed that only about 10% of visits were directly related to the earthquake, while 63% were unrelated.
Sebastiaan Meijer, Professor of Healthcare Logistics at KTH, pointed to healthcare as a clear example of a system dependent on many others. To function, healthcare relies on energy, water, digital systems, transport, and access to materials and medicines. This means that if one part of the infrastructure is affected, the consequences can quickly cascade into other parts of society.
Georgia Destouni, Professor of Hydrology at Stockholm University and visiting professor at KTH, demonstrated how central and vulnerable water supply systems are. Through models and simulations, she studies what happens when water systems are affected, whether by scarcity, excess, or contamination. Despite the critical nature of these issues, she noted that responsibility for water-related matters is fragmented, making it difficult to determine where research-based knowledge should be directed.
The discussion highlighted that while societies can invest heavily in preparedness, it is ultimately human capability that determines outcomes. Do we have the cognitive preparedness required to make decisions and act when situations are uncertain, and information is incomplete? At the same time, Sebastiaan and Georgia emphasised that preparedness is not only about building new resources, but also about understanding how existing systems are interconnected and how disruptions can spread between them.
When a crisis hits, it is not individual systems that determine the outcome, but how well actors can work together to limit the consequences.
The Role of Universities in Preparedness
Two central themes in the panels were the role of universities in crisis preparedness and how decision-makers can better utilise academic expertise. Universities hold critical knowledge for decision-making, but several researchers noted that they are often involved too late or too infrequently in decision-making processes. They called for closer and more continuous dialogue with policymakers.
At the same time, the researchers emphasised that responsibility is shared. While academic resources are underutilised, researchers need to become better at addressing societal needs and making their work accessible, and politicians and authorities must improve their ability to use existing knowledge.
The discussion led to a clear conclusion: collaboration between universities and decision-makers must be strengthened, particularly to ensure that research can be applied more quickly when society faces complex and rapidly evolving crises.
Reflections from Politicians
Following the panels, Minister Lotta Edholm and Defence Committee Chair Peter Hultqvist reflected on the researchers’ presentations and discussions. They emphasised the importance of academic freedom and knowledge for Sweden’s preparedness, with universities playing a central role. Achieving this requires both coordination and trust.
The evening concluded with questions from the two politicians to the researchers, including how collaboration between politicians and researchers can be improved, an exchange that was appreciated by both sides.
From Research to Policy – A Broad Audience
Around 80 guests attended the seminar to listen to the researchers and politicians. Participants included representatives from the Swedish Parliament, the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), the Public Health Agency of Sweden, the National Board of Health and Welfare, SVT, universities, and a range of other organisations.
The seminar was the first in the series “Preparedness – Knowledge for a Resilient Society,” a collaboration between Stockholm Science City, Karolinska Institutet, KTH, and Stockholm University. Throughout 2026–2027, the series will continue to highlight how research and collaboration can help strengthen Sweden’s preparedness for future crises.
Contact the researchers:
Predrag Petrovic, Senior Lecturer and Physician, KI
Lisa Kaati, Associate Professor in Computer and Systems Sciences, SU
Henrik Artman, Professor of Human–Computer Interaction, KTH
Johan von Schreeb, Professor of Global Disaster Medicine, KI
Sebastiaan Meijer, Professor of Healthcare Logistics, KTH
Georgia Destouni, Professor of Hydrology, SU, and Visiting Professor, KTH
Relevant research centres at the universities
Do you want an invitation to our next seminar on knowledge and resilience? Contact infor@ssci.se
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